Kenya is preparing to employ drones as part of increased security operations along its borders with Somalia and Ethiopia to monitor and halt the movements of al-Shabaab and gunrunners, security officials told Sabahi.

Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles, are needed to help Kenyan security forces on the ground patrol the country's frontiers, said Patrick Ochieng, director of the Kenya National Focal Point on Small Arms and Light Weapons."We face an unprecedented security challenge," he told Sabahi. "Not only do we have threats from within the country, but also from al-Shabaab insurgents."Gunrunning and infiltration by al-Shabaab into Kenya's north-eastern region have brought insecurity with deadly effects, he said, adding that the past two years have seen an increase in violence from illegal guns, with criminals andgunrunners devising new ways to smuggle in firearms.The unarmed drones will be equipped with state-of the-art technology including night-vision cameras to help Kenya stay ahead of criminals and evolving security threats, Ochieng said.Security officers are receiving training on working with the drones, which will be operational by the end of the year, Ochieng said. He declined to reveal more details about the programme, saying that doing so could aid gunrunners.Policing Kenya's porous, more than 800-kilometre border with Somalia is a difficult challenge, said north-eastern regional Police Chief Charlton Mureithi, and deploying drones will aid officers on the ground."We hope this technology will go a long way in addressing security threats in the region because the drones will keep an eye on the most remote routes the smugglers use," he told Sabahi.[b class="content_title" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(255, 0, 0); line-height: 1.35em; font-family: ;"]Investing in security[/b]Retired army Major Bishar Hajji Abdullahi said the government should invest in such technologies even if they are expensive because the goal of safeguarding the country should supersede the costs."Despite the drones being a controversial subject all over the country, in some cases, the government has the responsibility of protecting its citizens by whatever means," he told Sabahi.Nonetheless, better technology will not yield desired results without proper training for security officers, he said. "The government has to be careful not to sink money into ineffective technology," Abdullahi said.As security equipment becomes less expensive to acquire, Kenya should invest heavily in it to counter criminal threats, particularly from al-Shabaab, he said."For instance in the north-eastern region, where there are frequent al-Shabaab attacks, the government should provide security officers with armoured vehicles and bulletproof vests," Abdullahi said.The government unveiled its national budget for 2013-2014 on June 13th, setting aside 67 billion shillings ($784 million) for security.National Treasury Secretary Henry Rotich said 4 billion shillings ($46.9 million) of the allocated money will go towards security equipment, 4.5 billion shillings ($52.7 million) for enhanced operations, and 1.5 billion shillings ($17.6 million) for research into improving crime-prevention methods.

As reported portal "Key.aero" in comments to the news on the supply to Iraq for at least 10 combat helicopters Mi-28NE, Iraq will become the second operator of the export of this type of helicopter.

First, according to the portal has become .... Kenya, which in 2012 ordered 16 Mi-28NE, four of which allegedly have been delivered. If this is true, then the earlier estimates as to what the starting export customer could be Algeria, may be revised.

October 16 marks two years since the Kenya Defense Force first intervened in Somalia under Operation Linda Nchi - meaning Operation Protect the Country in Kiswahili - following a series of kidnappings and cross-border raids along the Kenya-Somalia border by the Al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group Al Shabaab. KDF forces were fully integrated into the African Union mission on 22 February 2012 and saw them capture the strategically and economiclly important port city of Kismayo from Al Shabaab in early October 2012 after a sustained 6-month advance across southern Somalia.

Kenya has taken delivery of two Danish patrol boats for security operations on the country’s two largest lakes.

The vessels, MV Kingfisher and MV Lorup, were launched by Homa Bay Governor Cyprian Awiti and Principal Secretary Micheni Ntiba at Roo Beach on Lake Victoria earlier this month, reports Kenya’s Standard Digital. “I must thank the national government for the vessels and assure the President we will continue to work closely with his government,” said Awiti.

The boats, worth Sh115 million, are powered by twin 910 hp engines and will be used on Lake Victoria and Lake Turkana to combat illegal fishing and other maritime crime. The vessels were launched to mark World Fisheries Day.

MV Kingfisher will police Lake Victoria and deal mainly with illegal fishing while MV Lorup will monitor Lake Turkana which has been the site of attacks on local fishermen by Ethiopians. Lake Victoria will at some stage receive another vessel to patrol its waters.

Italian Fincantieri consortium reports that it is exploring the possibility of establishing a shipyard in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa, which would strengthen existing relations with the Kenyan Navy.

In an interview with Kenyan media aboard the Italian Navy aircraft carrier 'Cavour' when it called at Mombasa as part of its Africa and Middle East promotional voyage, Fincantieri International Business Consultant (Naval Vessel Building Unit) Ezio Vernetti said the company hopes to set up a plant in Kenya before the end of this year.

Vernetti said that the company's long-standing relationship with the Kenyan Navy made Mombasa an ideal choice for the African plant, which will most likely focus on the supply of new vessels and the maintenance and refurbishment of existing Kenyan naval vessels with an eye for making inroads into the continental vessel sales, refurbishment and upgrade market.

By moving to Mombasa, Fincantierri seeks to consolidate a cordial business relationship with the Kenyan Navy three years after fulfilling a contract for refurbishing the navy's fast attack craft KNS Nyayo and KNS Umoja. As part of the mid-life refurbishment process, Fincantieri replaced approximately a third of the structure on each vessel and rebuilt their hulls. The company also worked on the propulsion systems, propellers, electrical equipment, furnishings, installation and flooring. It replaced all the command and control equipment on the vessels and installed new equipment, including Furano navigation radar. Fincantieri also removed the four launchers for the Oto Melara/Matra Otomat Mk 2 SSM system.

The 'Cavour', which is accompanied by three support ships, is on a tour of Middle Eastern and African ports where it is promoting the sale of mostly military hardware with on-board exhibitions by various companies.

The Kenya Air Force recently acquired six Grob G120A basic trainers, becoming the first African air force to operate the type.

The Kenyan G120s were observed practicing for the Jamhuri Day flypast on December 12, 2013. According to Grob, six aircraft have been delivered. The aircraft were handed over to the Kenyan military in November in Germany and subsequently flown to the African country after four Kenyan pilots were trained in Mattsies, Germany.

The G120A is powered by a six-cylinder Lycoming piston engine providing 260 hp. The largely all-composite airframe has a service life of 15 000 hours and is certified for +6/-4 gs, allowing for aerobatic training. The modern glass cockpit features three Elbit 205 x 150 mm multi-function displays, a digital standby flight display and a digital engine display. Grob says the G120 has one of the lowest maintenance costs in the industry.

The G120 is also flown by the Canadian, German, French and Israeli air forces while the turboprop G120TP has been bought by the Argentine and Indonesian air forces.

The Kenya Air Force flies around ten Scottish Aviation Bulldogs, 12 Embraer Tucanos and eight BAE Systems Hawks in the training role. It is likely that the Bulldogs will be replaced by the new German aircraft. According to Kenyan sources, the Kenya Air Force has another six G120s on option.

BULAWAYO, ZIMBABWE — Eurocopter Southern Africa Ltd. (ESAL) says it plans to establish a permanent base in Kenya to conduct maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) on all Airbus helicopters in Africa and parts of the Middle East, as the company anticipates growing force modernization requirements in sub-Saharan Africa.The company, formerly Eurocopter, has recorded 35 percent growth in business in southern Africa since 2010, as countries in the region have increased investments in military aircraft, airborne law enforcement and civil emergency response capabilities.In recent years, the company has supplied the EC145 helicopter to the Namibian Police Service, the EC135 to the Lesotho Defense Force’s Air Wing and a number of older Eurocopter models to the Botswana Defense Force, which are reportedly due for systems upgrades or replacement.Arnaud Montalvo, CEO of ESAL, said the company’s move to Kenya is a response to a boom in the country’s civil aviation sector and the government’s drive to strengthen its military, law enforcement and conservation agencies, offering numerous sales opportunities.“Originally, our activities were mostly in South Africa. In the past seven to eight years, we have expanded outside South Africa, mainly for law enforcement,” Montalvo said. “But in Kenya, [our market] is not only law enforcement, it is also other government agencies: Kenya Wildlife, Kenya Forestry, Kenya Pipeline, plus many civilian operators who are mostly in the utility sector. ... The Kenya police have growing needs and have issued a tender for a twin-engined helicopter.”The base, to be located at Nairobi Wilson Airport, will be the company’s second in Africa. The existing base in South Africa includes an MRO center for Airbus Helicopter models in sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, and a training academy at Lanseria Airport in Johannesburg. It also includes Africa’s first full-motion flight simulator, for training pilots and flight engineers operating the Super Puma helicopter, at the Sim-Aero training center at the O.R. Tambo International Airport, also in Johannesburg.“Kenya and the surrounding region is a growth market for Airbus Helicopters, and Nairobi is perfectly located for the establishment of a base for sales and support to customers and operators in East Africa,” said ESL spokesman Linden Birns.The timeframe for the move to Kenya is still being developed, he said.Eurocopter’s move to Kenya follows market analysts Frost & Sullivan’s prediction that the value of the combined military and civilian helicopter market in the developing world, including the Middle East and Africa, will rise to $146.8 billion between 2014 and 2022.A heavy slump in demand is expected in the European and North American markets, whose combined market value is estimated to rise to $9.7 billion in the same period.In a report, “Global Helicopter & Systems Market: Capturing Growth Opportunities across the Rotorcraft Industry,” Frost & Sullivan said demand will be driven mostly by the ongoing platform renewal cycle that indicates more countries favor retrofitting platforms than buying new ones. It also will be driven by a growing demand for maintenance, upgrade services and the adoption of new mission and avionics systems.“Emerging markets comprise significant opportunities among new helicopter procurements, with a forecast market size of $146.84 billion between 2014 and 2022 for military and civil new platform deliveries, and a related market size of $46.33 billion for service support during the same period,” according to the analysis.Eurocopter’s growing business relationship saw Kenyan customers take delivery of five of the seven Eurocopter helicopters delivered to Africa last year. Kenya also accounted for four of the seven pipeline business orders won by ESAL last year.Despite the shrinking base of the aviation sector in South Africa following the 2007-10 financial crisis, Montalvo said, ESAL has capitalized on increased activity by law enforcement in other southern African countries. Further regional sales are anticipated for new aircraft.“We have introduced ... the EC145, with one delivered to the Namibian Police, and the EC135 to the Lesotho Defense Force. We expect to sell more helicopters to the Lesotho [Defense Force] in the medium term. They have aging aircraft to replace. They are still using an EC135 to replace a BO 105,” an older, German-built light utility helicopter, he said.Montalvo said ESAL also hopes to build on its presence in the Angolan offshore oil and natural gas market by aggressively marketing its larger helicopters in the oil and gas support sectors on the east coast of Africa, from Mozambique to Kenya. It also seeks to expand its product support capabilities and introduce new products to Indian Ocean nations Mauritius, Mada­gascar and the Seychelles, as well as to Reunion, a French island territory.

Kenyan government has unveiled plans to spend US$1 billion acquiring 10 new military helicopters, refurbishing three grounded Russian-made Mi-17 helicopters and the installation of 'Safe City' closed circuit (CCTV) surveillance cameras in 10 cities in terms of a strategic five-year national security plan to secure the country against a series of terrorist attacks blamed on Somali Islamist militant group Al Shabaab.

NAIROBI, Kenya – A Kenyan military spokesman says a fighter jet returning from a combat mission has crashed in Somalia.

Col. David Obonyo says the military launched a search and rescue mission to find the pilot, who ejected before the crash.

Obonyo said Thursday the pilot reported mechanical problems before the plane disappeared from radar over the port city of Kismayo.

Somali militant group al-Shabab, which Kenyan troops are fighting in Somalia, claims it shot down the jet. Obonyo dismissed the claim.

Kenya sent its military to Somalia in October 2011 to fight al-Shabab militants whom the Kenyan government blamed for cross-border attacks. Kenyan troops later became part of the African Union troops in Somalia which are bolstering Somalia's weak government against al-Shabab's insurgency.